udila and Oppas.
Strange excess of impudence to make that man their servant, before
whose sword they had assuredly trembled had he possessed his eyesight!
He pleads that Count Pythias has already pronounced against the claims
of his pretended masters. If you find that this is so, restore him at
once to freedom, and warn those men not to dare to repeat their
oppression of the unfortunate.'

30. KING THEODORIC TO GUDUI[M], VIR SUBLIMIS [AND DUX].

[Sidenote: Servile tasks imposed on free Goths by a Duke.]

'We expect those whom we choose as Dukes to work righteousness.
Costula and Daila, men who by the blessing of God rejoice in the
freedom of our Goths, complain that servile tasks are imposed upon
them by you. We do not do this ourselves, nor will we allow anyone
else to do it. If you find that the grievance is correctly stated
rectify it at once, or our anger will turn against the Duke who thus
abuses his power.'

31. KING THEODORIC TO DECORATUS, VIR DEVOTUS (?).

[For the career of Decoratus see v. 3 and 4.]

[Sidenote: Arrears of Siliquaticum to be enforced.]

'Thomas, Vir Clarissimus, complains that he cannot collect the arrears
of Siliquaticum from certain persons in Apulia and Calabria.

'Do you therefore summon Mark the Presbyter, Andreas, Simeonius, and
the others whose names are set forth in the accompanying schedule, to
come into your presence, using no unnecessary force[399] in your
summons. If they cannot clear themselves of this debt to the public
Treasury, they must be forced to pay.'

[Footnote 399: 'Servata in omnibus civilitate.']

[The arrears are said to be for the 8th, 9th, 11th, 1st, 2nd, and 15th
Indictiones; i.e. probably for the years 500, 501, 503, 508, 509, 507.
I cannot account for this curious order in which the years are
arranged, which seems to suggest some corruption of the text. Probably
this letter was written about 509.]

32. KING THEODORIC TO BRANDILA (CIR. 508-9).

[See remarks on this letter in Dahn ('Koenige der Germanen' iv.
149-152); he claims it as a proof that Gothic law still existed for
the Goths in Italy.]

[Sidenote: Assault of the wife of Brandila on the wife of Patzenes.]

'Times without number has Patzenes laid his complaint upon us, to wit
that while he was absent on the recent successful expedition[400] your
wife Procula fell upon his wife [Regina], inflicted upon her three
murderous blows, and finally left her for dead, the victim having only
esc